2012 Annual Workshop

The Role of Testing Centers in Educating the Public About Disaster Risk

Mon. 2:00-3:30 p.m., Centennial E

The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety’s new research center provides unprecedented opportunities for laboratory testing of full-scale one- and two-story residential and commercial structures in conditions that mimic high winds, wind-driven rain, wildfire, and hailstorms. The results of this research can help improve building codes and voluntary standards to make buildings safer and stronger. But what is the best way to translate research findings into forms that let the public better understand disaster risk and mitigate it? This session features video footage from the IBHS research center, as well as discussion among engineering experts and social scientists aiming to identify meaningful paths of communication.

Debra Ballen, Moderator
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety